Prelude To A Kiss
by SaL
Summary: In which the Newsies try to protect a child from the harshness or reality


Prelude to a Kiss

By SaL

Chapter one: When it Started 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Newsies from Disney's movie. They do so there!

A/N: This is a little fic I decided to write about Mush so enjoy!

            Eight-year-old Casper Jones sat by his sisters bed in the convent.  His poor four-year-old sister Emily had scarlet fever and there was absolutely nothing he could do as she become weaker and weaker.  He took her little hand in his and hummed a their mother's song:

"Sleep child, and when you do

Dream a dream to drift you through

The night, that lingers through the day.

Tonight, if dreams are few

I'll sing this lullabye for you,

Sleep child, for dreams always come true."

(a/n: I used to listen to it when I was little. It's from my Anne Murray tape.)

As he finished he noticed his sisters breaths starting to waver.  "Emily?" He whispered in a frightened voice.  "Emily? Emily what's wrong?"  Emily didn't respond instead she began to cough wildly while tears stained her face.  "Nurse! Nurse please help my sister. I'm afraid. She's having trouble breathing again."  The nurse rubbed her hand in circles against the girl's back in an attempt to ease the pain.  "Hang on Emmy, this nurse, she's gonna help you an fore you know it you'll be all better."

" An *cough* an den we can *cough, cough* we can go ome an pway? *coughs* "

" Yup, then we can go home and play. You just hang on and get well and we can do anything you want."

" Inky pomise?"

"Pinky promise." Casper smiled as they 'pinky shook'.  As his sister's breaths returned to normal Casper sighed in relief.  

"Capsir, why don you wan me to stop eathing?"

"Because, Emily, if you stop breathing then I won't ever get to play with you again.  See you'll get to play with the angels and I'll have to wait a long time to play with you again."

"I's let you pway with me an da gels Capsir. I's good at shawing."  Casper smiled and grasped his sister's hand again.  "You are good at sharing, but the Angels, well they wont want to share you with anyone. They'll make me wait forever till it's my turn to play with you."

"Dat's not nice."  Emily pouted while shaking her head 'no'.  "I's don wan to pway with da gels, I wants to stay ear an pway with you Capsir."  Suddenly the boy's eye's widened as he noticed his sister's breaths were becoming less frequent.  

"No, Emily you have to fight it!  You have to breath! Nurse! Nurse help her! Please do something!"  Unfournately there was nothing the nurse could do for the small girl and her brother this time.  " Emily don't leave me. I love you Emmy."

"I…… wov you ……too Capsir.   *yawns* …….. night, night Capsir."

"No Emily you have to stay awake, please don't leave me!"

"Don worry Capsir, I's won let dos gels pway with me less you can pway too.  Now I gots to sweep, night Capsir."  Those were the last words Emily Anne Jones would ever speak as she left her brother all alone in the world. 

"Emily… No! It's not true you-you can't be gone! No!"  The little boy yelled frantically as he ran from the convent as fast as his little legs allowed.  The boy suddenly tripped over what seemed to be a heap of rags and narrowly missed the fountain.  Slowly, Casper lifted himself from the soft snow that broke his fall.  Just as he was about to kick the 'rag pile' he noticed a little hand about the size of his own.  Gently Casper picked up the small body of an unconscious girl who appeared to be frozen.   "I couldn't save Emmy, but I can save this girl. I have to!"

            Soon Casper was running from door to door for help only to be turned away again and again.  The cynical people of New York City assumed he was nothing more than a scheming street rat who was using his sister as a front.  Casper had just about given up when he approached the newsboys lodging house.  He knocked frantically on the door and turned the knob to discover it was unlocked.  

"Hello!" He called creeping cautiously into the building.  "Hello! Is anybody home?" Suddenly an old man appeared.  "Hello young boy are you looking for lodgings?"  Casper nodded frantically "Oh yes, yes you see this girl she's…"

"You might want to try the orphanage for your sister, you understand there's a no girls rule in the bunkroom."

"But, but sir…"

"Now off to the orphanage it's about four streets away from here.  Go back the way you came and take a right. At the end of the street take another right, then continue down the street and take the first left then another right on to the next street and it should be on your left.  It's a large brick building you can't miss it."

"But you don't understand! She's…"

"Or maybe it's right, left, left, left, right.  Or perhaps…"

"She's not my sister! I don't know who she is!" Casper cried out as tears welled in is eyes.  "But please mister, you've just got to help her! She's frozen and very sick."  He cried out in a desperate tone.  With a snap Kloppman was alert and hastily took the small girl from Casper.  "It seems we've found an exception to the rule.  Hurry now, follow me."

            The two rushed up the staircase and into the bunkroom, where a crowd of boys turned their attention from a card game to the limp girl in Kloppman's arms.  She was gently placed into the nearest bottom bunk while Casper received the one just above it.  Suddenly orders cut through the dead silence.

"Racetrack find as many extra blankets as you can! Angel, Fallen put more coals in that furnace!  Quickly now!  Flash I'm gonna need some boiling water and a wash cloth.  Cowboy, go fetch a doctor it seems this little girl's got hypothermia."  Dazed and confused the boys stood there wondering if it was just a reverie.  "Well what are ya'll standing around here for? Hop to it!"

            Soon a grand fire was blazing within the furnace and the girl was buried beneath a pile of blankets.  Casper found himself in a most familiar position, holding the little girl's right hand while praying to God she wouldn't have the same fate as Emily.  The doctor had just left moments ago promising she would be alright so long as she stayed warm and got plenty of rest.  

            The boy called Angel approached Casper cautiously.   "Hey kid" Receiving no response he hesitated to continue.  "My name's Michelangelo like the Italian painter guy, but folks round here call me Angel.  What's uh, what's yer name?"  

"C-Casper" The boy whispered never taking his eyes of the girl.  "What was that?"

"Casper, Casper Jones" He replied a bit louder.  

"Casper huh? Well if you'se is gonna be a newsie, you'se is gonna need a cooler name."

"Newsie?"

"Well kid this is the news boys lodging house and you and your sista are stayin' here right?"

"She's not my sister" Casper growled, "How could she be? She's dead!"

"Now come on Casper the doc said she'd be fine, you were there you herd him."

"No! My sister is Emily and she just died tonight! This girl is NOT Emily! She isn't my SISTER!"  The room fell silent at the sudden outburst.  They just looked upon the boy with solemn, understanding eyes for they too knew what it felt like to loose everything.  "So, uh… who is she den?" Cowboy hesitantly asked the question on everyone's mind.

"I-I don't know." He whispered, "She's just this girl I found lying in the snow.  At first I thought I tripped over a pile of rags…but then there was the hand… and well she was out cold so I tried to save her."

It was then that Fallen, the oldest boy in the room, stood and walked over to the new kid.  He was twelve and fairly tall for his age with a good build and perfectly tan skin.  His unruly brown hair spilled into his bitter chocolate eyes and was tied loosely at the back of his neck.  Fallen wore loose black pants and an unbuttoned black dress shirt with the collar up which revealed a black tank top.  Giving the boy a one over Fallen produced a cigarette pack and lit up.  After taking a drag he glanced at the unconscious girl who was oblivious to the world within her private dreamland. 

"Whether you choose to accept it or not you did save this kids life.  You should be proud, you're a hero now kid."

"But I didn't do anything everyone else did."

"Ya got her here didn't ya?" The older boy demanded.

"Well ya but anyone would have done the same, right? Wouldn't you have done the same?"

Fallen put the cigarette to his lips sucking in the relaxing toxins while staring thoughtfully into Casper's innocent blue eyes.  'How' he thought. 'How can this small boy remain so naïve, so innocent after all he's been through?'  Fallen was in no way surprised by this, it was common among newcomers, but they all lost their innocents at some point.  However, there was something different about Casper, his eyes sparkled with hope despite the sorrow etched upon his young face.  Fallen new right then that this boy was special and he instantly felt the need to shield him from the bitterness that came with street life.  He flashed the boy a toothless grin before replying. 

"Your right kid I would have, same as everyone else." Though Fallen knew for a fact that there were those who would have left her there. He himself was not counted among them.

"Why don't ya get some sleep kid we's got a long day tomorrow."

"But what if she wakes up?"

"She won't"

"But…"

"Kid" Fallen warned, "We got curfew on work nights."

"I just don't want her to wake up alone."

"She won't"

"Promise?"

"Yes! Now get in bed like everyone else." 

"Ok" Casper sighed defeated as he struggled to pull himself onto the top bunk.  Fallen shut out the lights and dragged two chairs, a pillow, and blanket to set up a make-shift bed next to his own which was occupied by a small unknown girl.        

~ * ~

A/N: So I hope you like the first chapter I promise to update soon I should actually be doing something more productive right now like research for World History or something but I just had to get this up cuz I haven't had anything new up in a while.  Oh and those of you who are waiting for my Racetrack story it's in the works and I'll be posting the new chapter soon.  I do however need a girl for him if anyone's interested.  All you have to do is send me an e-mail about your character ya know personality, clothing, looks, and try to keep the clothing realistic to the time period please!  I like to be as Historically accurate with these this as I can.   


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